


A Time to Act

by Mischel



Series: Merlin Memory Month 2019 [9]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Boyfriends, M/M, Magic, Magic Ban Lifted (Merlin), Magic Revealed, Merlin Memory Month, POV Arthur, POV Merlin (Merlin), arrested merlin, fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-17 23:22:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18974491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mischel/pseuds/Mischel
Summary: Merlin is attacked in the streets and uses magic in defence. Unfortunately, a guard (Lancelot) sees him and arrests him together with the attacker, taking them both to Arthur for a trial. The day started out perfectly, but how will it end now?





	A Time to Act

**Author's Note:**

> As I promised, this fanfic is longer and hopefully better than the last one. Still, thanks for the feedback on the last fanfic! :) You might want to read the previous fanfic in the series before reading this one, but it's ok if you don't want to, I tried to write it as a standalone. :)
> 
> PROMPT DAY 8  
> Path 1 - Territory  
> Path 2 - Emotion/Mood/Aesthetic: Harsh  
> Path 3 - A time to consider / A time to act
> 
> \- prompts used: harsh, a time to act

Ever since Merlin and Arthur's relationship had become public, Merlin had noticed quite a few stares among the people. Yes, he came to the market every other day and always bought the same things for Gaius, so people there knew him. They knew who he was and some of them were even his friends, kind of. But they had never  _stared_  at him like this.

He had noticed the way they looked at him was slightly different right the first morning after he and Arthur had informed the kingdom of their relationship. That was two weeks ago, and it still hadn't changed.

There were still a few smiles here and there, but some people stopped smiling. Others were frowning or looked confused or suspicious. A few of them quickly accepted how things were and tried to please Merlin to be on his good side, while others avoided him.

It was strange being this . . .  _popular._

It certainly wasn't helpful when he needed to use magic, which was becoming very scarce. He couldn't risk anyone seeing him, so now that everyone was constantly watching him, using magic was out of the question. That, and he'd promised Arthur he'd only use his magic for dire situations weeks ago. He intended to keep it, especially now that his dream of magic being welcome in Camelot was so close.

Merlin adjusted the strap of his backpack on his shoulder, walking away from the market with all the ingredients that Gaius had asked him to buy that morning. He was on his way back home, looking forward to Arthur's training session that afternoon. He always had to dress him for the occasion, and now that they were officially together, undressing and dressing that king had become a much more exciting task. Also, he got to watch Arthur fight, which usually involved Arthur trying to impress him and then ending up on the ground. Merlin always made sure to never miss those moments.

He turned the corner of a small house, a smile on his face as he was thinking about all this. When he looked up, he found himself face to face with a man of similar age – he was frowning.

Merlin stopped and looked at his face – he recognised him! It was a former knight. He'd refused to follow Arthur because he didn't agree with the king being in love with his manservant, and unfortunately, after a fight which he'd lost, he lost his knighthood because Arthur couldn't trust him. He wasn't loyal anymore and could turn against Merlin whenever he pleased.

Just like today, it seemed.

Merlin sighed and turned around, walking back towards the market, trying to avoid any sort of conflict. He wasn't going to let anyone ruin this day for him.

"Merlin!"

Too late.

The man followed him and Merlin was forced to pick up his pace. He turned a corner, then another, turned  _right_ , and finally found himself in a small street in between two houses that ended in- a  _wall._  Damn it. He should have turned left.

"Merlin!"

Merlin turned around to face him. The man was standing there, slowly walking closer with tiny steps and anger in his face.

"Hi, I think we've met? I mean, you obviously know my name."

"You know exactly who I am," the man gritted through his teeth. "You watched me as I challenged the king and I lost my knighthood because of you!"

Merlin shook his head and pursed his lips. "I'm sorry, but you just said that  _you_  challenged the king? So that kind of makes you responsible for what happened afterwards, doesn't it? I had nothing to do with that."

"You bloody know you did!"

Merlin was becoming nervous at this point. Behind him was only the wall, there was no one around, and the man was getting dangerously closer. And he was armed. Merlin wasn't.

"Being a knight meant everything to me!"

"Look, I'm really sorry about what happened, but you swore an oath and you weren't able to keep it."

"I would have been able to if you had known your place and hadn't tried to get close to the king and his power!"

Merlin opened his mouth to say something, anything to calm the man down, but it was too late. He grabbed the hilt of his dagger and unsheathed it from its scabbard at his belt and charged at Merlin, who managed to move away just in time.

"Wait!"

Merlin tried to talk, but the man didn't listen to him. He was blinded by the sadness of losing his title and the hatred that he felt towards Merlin, and he didn't seem likely to stop despite anything. He charged at Merlin again and Merlin managed to duck, but he wasn't a skilled fighter. He couldn't avoid the dagger for much longer and he couldn't run away either because the man was blocking the only way out.

Oh, why did he choose such a narrow street?

"You don't deserve to stand next to him by the throne!" The man  _shouted_. Good, now at least someone might notice them.

Merlin's back hit the wall behind him and the dagger landed just above his shoulder. He moved out of its way, but the man was quicker and fished out another dagger, preparing it on the other side.

It all happened in a second.

The moment Merlin's eyes registered the second dagger aiming at his head, his mind completely shut off and his instinct took over. The dagger stopped in mid-air, mere centimetres away from Merlin's right temple, and the man's eyes widened in horror as he stared into Merlin  _gold_  eyes.

"Sorcerer . . . " he uttered, his hand still unable to move.

Merlin's heart was beating and his magic was still holding the man's dagger away from his face.

Then he heard loud steps.

"Hey! You! Stop!"

Merlin blinked, quickly ducked and the dagger hit the wall in the spot where his head had been mere seconds ago. The man prepared to strike again, but a strong hand gripped his forearm, stopping him.

Merlin looked up. It was Lancelot.

"What's happening here?" Lancelot asked, frowning at the man. "Merlin, are you okay?"

Merlin nodded – slowly, quietly, still in shock.

"Drop the daggers!"

The man dropped them. Lancelot took his arms behind his back and put handcuffs on his wrists.

"You attacked an unarmed citizen of Camelot. You're arreste-"

"He's a sorcerer!" The man shouted at Lancelot¨s face. "He used magic on me! He's enchanted the king to follow his orders, he's evil!"

Lancelot's eyes widened as he looked down at Merlin. Merlin just kept looking at him hopelessly and scared, asking himself one question: how did a nice day with a promise of an even better evening turn into such a disaster?

Merlin slowly stood up, swallowed and subtly nodded at Lancelot.

He knew what was going to happen now. He could see it in Lancelot's face - he was trying to apologize to Merlin because he had no control over what he now had to do. And Merlin accepted it. It should have happened so many years ago anyway.

"Merlin . . . "

"What are you waiting for!" The man hissed. "Arrest him!"

With a heavy heart, Lancelot took Merlin by his wrists gently and put another pair of shackles around them.

"Merlin, by the laws of Camelot, you are arrested for using magic."

xoXÖXox

It had been quite a busy day for Arthur so far. He had been working with the council all morning, preparing papers, signing them, discussing with them what he'd discussed with his most trusted knights just a few weeks ago – and that was the issue of bringing magic back into the kingdom and making it safe for everyone – both ordinary people and the druids and people like Merlin.

All his trusted knights – Leon, Gwaine, Lancelot, Elyan and Percival – had already been informed of Merlin's magic on a private meeting where they'd discussed the issue, and now he was working with the council, reading their reviewed versions of his suggested new laws.

It was a  _lot_ of work, but he knew it was worth it. Everything was worth it for Merlin's smile. That, and he also had a training session later in the day to look forward to, where he could actually talk to Merlin about the progress he had made with the council today.

They had made big progress – all the papers were already prepared and reviewed, and they were just two or so signatures away from officially legalizing magic in Camelot. Now the last question to answer was –  _when_  was the best time to do that? And how should they prepare the people?

Just as Arthur sat down to reread the final version of the first of the laws that had been suggested to him by Merlin (obviously, they both had worked hard on all the laws), the door opened.

Arthur looked up to see Sir Leon's head peeking inside. "My lord."

"What is it?" Arthur asked.

Leon pursed his lips. "It's Sir Lancelot, my lord. He's bringing in two people for a trial . . . one of them is Merlin."

Arthur stared at him for a moment and then closed his eyes briefly, hiding his face in the palms of his hands. He sighed. What exactly did Merlin do this time?

"Bring them in," he finally decided and stood up, looking apologetically at all his council members, one of which was Gaius who seemed equally as confused as Arthur was.

Leon's head disappeared and when the door opened again, Lancelot came in. He was holding two people in shackles, one of them was Merlin and the other was . . . Sir Whatshisname? Arthur frowned. He didn't like where this was going, just last week he had been challenged by this knight and he won, and now he was causing trouble in the streets?

"My apologies," Arthur spoke to the council, "but don't worry, I believe this will not take much time."

He walked away from them to sit on the throne as his father used to do. He watched Merlin with unease as Lancelot brought him closer with the former knight.

"What happened?" Arthur asked, already bracing himself for what he was about to hear.

"I found this man in a back alley with Merlin. He was fighting him with two daggers while Merlin was unarmed."

Arthur didn't like this.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" The man turned to Lancelot. Then he looked at Merlin with hatred in his eyes and smirked up at Arthur. "The boy is a sorcerer! He was trying to kill me!"

"What? No, I wasn't! You attacked me first!" Merlin defended himself.

"Only because you-"

"Quiet!"

Arthur sighed.

He didn't like this one bit.

He glanced at Gaius, who seemed to have been thinking the same thing, and then he looked back at Merlin. He looked nervous and also apologetic. Arthur could only imagine how many times Merlin had dreamed about standing here, accused of magic, with fear consuming him. But at least it wasn't his father sitting on the throne.

What a bad timing, too! He and Merlin had been planning to reveal Merlin's magic to the council in the evening, and now  _this_  happened.

Arthur had to take a deep breath.

"Merlin," he looked at him. "Tell me what happened."

The former knight frowned. "Of course he's the first to be asked-"

"I'm sorry, is your name Merlin?" Arthur asked the man, using his best authoritative voice that he could muster. Even Merlin looked taken aback but with a slight smirk at his lips.

The former knight shook his head and was quiet, and Arthur turned back to Merlin, giving him a nod to encourage him to talk.

"Well, I was on my way from the market, when I saw him standing on the street, just staring at me," Merlin started. "And I recognised him and didn't want to start a fight, so I turned back and went back towards the market, but he was following me. I turned the wrong way and found myself in an alley with a dead end, and well, then he attacked me, saying that I cost him his knighthood."

"You did!"

"Quiet!" Arthur frowned. "And then?"

Merlin pursed his lips. "We fought, and I wasn't armed, so I just kept avoiding his blows until one almost hit me and . . . well . . . I accidentally used magic to stop it."

"Accidentally?"

Literally everyone in the room looked at Merlin, who just shrugged as if it was common knowledge. "He was about to  _kill_  me, I couldn't help it."

Arthur swallowed down the anger he felt towards the former knight when he realized that he'd almost  _killed_  Merlin today, and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. How was he supposed to deal with this? They were so close to lifting the ban on magic, but it wasn't lifted yet and Merlin broke the law! According to the current laws of Camelot, he was supposed to be sentenced to death, but Arthur could never do that. He also couldn't forget the fact that the former knight attacked him first and was also awaiting punishment . . .

"And how do  _you_  explain yourself?" Arthur turned to the former knight.

"He's the reason you stripped me of my title. He's got you under his thumb, my lord, I had to do something to save you and the kingdom. He's only bad influence."

Arthur stood up from the throne and went closer to them. "So, what you're trying to say is . . . you tried to kill my boyfriend because you don't like him and accuse him of controlling me – something of which you have no proof, and you blame him for something you brought upon yourself. As I remember it, you were the one who challenged me, you agreed to the rules and you lost. Or was that not what happened, Sir Lancelot?"

"Yes, my lord," Lancelot nodded.

"Thank you." Arthur turned to the former knight again. "There are over two dozens of knights who agree with Sir Lancelot. Merlin never was and isn't the reason why I chose to debase you. I chose to do so because you cannot be trusted, so if you're going to blame anyone, blame yourself."

"But-"

"I've already taken away your knighthood, and I don't wish to do anything else. So consider this your warning. Do not attack Merlin or anyone else in my city again, or you will suffer the consequences."

The former knight stared at him, then at Merlin, and finally at Arthur again. Then he frowned but bowed his head. "Yes, my lord."

"Lancelot," Arthur commanded, "he'll spend the night in the dungeons, release him in the morning and let him go home."

"My lord," Lancelot nodded and tugged at the man's shackles to drag him away.

He protested though and didn't move. "But what about the sorcerer? He's been lying to you, my lord, just as I told you! You may choose to love him, but he might as well have you under a love spell!"

"I don't-"

"Merlin," Arthur stopped him before he could say anything that he'd regret. Merlin closed his mouth and waited for Arthur to say anything. All the members of the council looked at him and did the same.

Arthur swallowed.

"Gaius," he spoke to his most trusted adviser without looking at him. "How far are we from lifting the ban on magic again?"

Gaius raised his eyebrow in an amused way. "Just two more signatures, my lord."

Arthur smiled, still staring at the former knight. "Excellent."

He went over to the table with all the papers again and picked up a quill. He moistened it in the inkwell and signed the two remaining papers that separated him from his desired future. When he was done, he smiled and looked up at the former knight again.

"You seem to be late," he told him. "You see, we've all been planning to lift the ban on magic for weeks, and you would have known that, had you stayed loyal and a knight."

"You can't-"

"Merlin," Arthur went over to him, happy to see a proud grin on his face. "You've been found guilty of breaking the old laws of Camelot, but according to the new laws, you did nothing wrong. You only defended yourself, correct?"

"Yeah, I stopped the dagger from killing me."

"Well, there you have it," Arthur smiled at him. "Nothing wrong." Merlin grinned. "But you did break the old laws, and I can't turn a blind eye to that." Merlin's grin wavered. "You'll also spend one night in the dungeons, but you'll be released in the morning, don't worry."

"But the training session!" Merlin protested.

Arthur put his hand on Merlin's shoulder. "There will be many more training sessions to come, you'll just have to miss this one, sorry."

Merlin sighed, but Arthur could see that he understood. He was the king, and these decisions didn't come lightly to him. But there had to be decisions, and in terms of breaking the law, he let both Merlin and the former knight off easy.

Arthur leaned in and kissed Merlin, just for good measure, and then waved at Lancelot.

Lancelot took Merlin and the former knight out of the room and led them to the dungeons, where they would both spend the night, each in a different cell far away from each other, preferably in a different part of the castle, too.

Once they were gone, Arthur turned back to the council, apologized again, explained that he already knew about Merlin's magic and was planning to tell them that evening, and was surprised when several members of the council told him they'd already suspected.

Now the only thing he needed to do was inform the people. He hoped it would go well.

And then, after the training session, Arthur paid Merlin a visit and spent several hours with him in the cell because, well, because it wasn't really Merlin's fault that he was there and because Arthur loved him and wanted to tell him all about the training session to make up for what Merlin had missed out.

And if both Arthur and Merlin lost a few items of clothing during all the talking, it was only a good thing that all the other cells were empty and that Arthur was the king and had made sure that no one would disturb them.

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to give the former knight a name, but he doesn't deserve it :D Anyway, the last fanfic of this series will come out on Thursday! You'll definitely like that one! :D Thanks for reading! :)


End file.
